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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. spell — a short time
  3. date — the fruit
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. mate — a friend
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lean — thin
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. mate — a partner
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. spell — magic
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. spell — letters
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. tube — the underground
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. mate — to breed
  22. tube — a container
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. tube — in a tire

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com